Victims would fork out £2.50 thinking it covered a full day’s parking when in fact they had paid for only an hour.

After 60 minutes, Ryan’s company would arrive to tow away cars, leaving drivers with £315 bills for release.

Ryan, 56, was jailed for two-and-a-half years in February 2011 after being convicted of conspiracy to defraud and controlling an article for fraud.

Now a judge at a proceeds of crime hearing at Birmingham Crown Court has warned he will stay in jail for another 10 years unless he pays back £2,837,349. Judge Murray Creed has given him six months to cough up.

The ticket machine was fitted with a computer chip so it accepted £2 coins and issued a ticket, but no credit was given to the motorist. Ryan got a taste of his own medicine after police rumbled his scam.

When they raided his four-bed home in Solihull the conman was on holiday so they seized his white tow-truck. Ryan was left with a £350 bill if he wanted the vehicle back.

Judge Creed said the court had been “hampered” in assessing the clamper’s finances because he had failed to provide paperwork.

Claims Ryan made about his property were not supported by bank statements, which led the judge to conclude funds were hidden in “other places”.

Sajeela Naseer, of Birmingham Trading Standards, said: “Not only will we investigate fraud, we will also ensure ill-gotten gains are confiscated.’’